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We haven't had one in years, we did have one when I went to college (the town I was in). As a concept I like them when done right, but they do have to be opening to people who come in and not turn into a collection of simpsons comic book guys.

One Gum Drop to rule them all, One Gum Drop to find them,
One Gum Drop to bring them all and in the sweetness bind them
In the Land of Candy where the Gingerbreads lie.
-Tag line for the Candy Land Movie Adaptation

We have an awesome comic book store here. The owner is very accomadating and customer oriented. He's called the house a few times to let me know that there is stuff in my box as well. He's also great with kids which isn't always the case in comic shops. And is prices are a little higher but not ebay high and still fair.

There was a comic shop in Port Huron called Kelly's Comics that was just great. It was down town, a block fro the river, near the corner of Main and Quay st. It Was The BEST! It was a fantastic location. the owner was a total comic geek and we were all friends there, hanging out for hours on end. Unfortunately business was not as good as it could have been (we bought our share of comics, games and figures, but it wasn't enough). They closed shop and I lost track of the place. It was great. We gamed there, talked, hung out. If they'd have had a coffee shop next door some of us would have never left. Those were great days. I met some of the best people and some of my closest friends there.
They closed some time ago. 10 years ago or so I think.
Recently a new shop has opened in a town not far from me, but I have yet to stop in and check it out. I'm afraid of getting the "Creepy Old Comic Book Guy" stigma (is that the right word?). Besides, I have not had the expendable cash of late.

The Ninth Level of Hell plotting my slow and painful revenge on the brightly sunlit world...

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I like them in that I'll stop in and browse. I won't buy anything at their inflated prices there, though. I'll go to Ebay for that. But I'll buy my supplies there such as comic sleeves, backing boards and long boxes. But that's it.

What I do love about comic shops is the smell of old comic books though permeating through the air.

Last edited by Benedict Judas Hel; September 8, 2013 at 01:09pm.

"Wheresoever on earth he dwells, man is prey to two weaknesses: the need to pray and the need to love."-Marquis de Sade

"It is not by reasoning or by our understanding that we have received our religion; it is by external authority and command."-Michel De Montaigne

We haven't had one in years, we did have one when I went to college (the town I was in). As a concept I like them when done right, but they do have to be opening to people who come in and not turn into a collection of simpsons comic book guys.

Indifferent from formerly liking them an awful lot, for the above reason.

What I do love about comic shops is the smell of old comics book though permeating through the air.

Totally!

For me, I like some and dislike some comic book shops. Some feel very weird, like you're an outsider. Sometimes the folks there are socially awkward, so it's uncomfortable. Plus I rarely get new comics, so I am out of the loop.

The comic book shop I went to most growing up was a father/son place. The son had a regular job so his retired father was there most days. He was such a nice guy. Wouldn't charge much, and had a ton of great backissues. In my late teens, my sister and I started going back there again getting $1 backissues. One Christmas, we had maybe like 30 comics we were getting, at the register, he said "No charge, Merry Christmas!". It was such a kind and unexpected act.

To thank him, my sister who was a graphic artist, made him a "million dollar comic" cover with him as the superhero who turns comic owner by day and hero by knight. He was touched, and hung it in the shop there on before they sold the business a few years ago.

For me, I like some and dislike some comic book shops. Some feel very weird, like you're an outsider. Sometimes the folks there are socially awkward, so it's uncomfortable. Plus I rarely get new comics, so I am out of the loop.

The comic book shop I went to most growing up was a father/son place. The son had a regular job so his retired father was there most days. He was such a nice guy. Wouldn't charge much, and had a ton of great backissues. In my late teens, my sister and I started going back there again getting $1 backissues. One Christmas, we had maybe like 30 comics we were getting, at the register, he said "No charge, Merry Christmas!". It was such a kind and unexpected act.

To thank him, my sister who was a graphic artist, made him a "million dollar comic" cover with him as the superhero who turns comic owner by day and hero by knight. He was touched, and hung it in the shop there on before they sold the business a few years ago.

Wow, sounds like a great place!

I always feel really conspicuous when I go into a LCS. Largely because I only rarely do so, so I feel like I've just walked in on some kind of private conversation. Not that I've been treated badly or anything - I just feel kind of awkward. Since I only buy trades/back issues for the stories, I don't generally care what condition they're in so long as they're readable, so I've been mostly buying online for the past few years anyhow.

I like comic shops, but I rarely stop by them anymore. I used to frequent the same comic shop for over 20 years, but the last few years they stopped treating me like the loyal customer I had been. In early 2008, I discovered a fantastic online comic store out of Oklahoma, and have never been back to that comic shop since. The place I get my comics from now lets me pick the variant covers I want, are fantastic at customer service, give me a 30% discount, they bag and board every comic at no cost, and let me ship on request. I have them ship my comics every two months by UPS, so I can save on shipping. I wait til the second Previews of that two month period arrives, and then have them ship my books, which always arrive within two days. I am very happy with them! So, I pretty much only visit a comic shop on Free Comic Book Day or when I need a new long box for my comics.

It really was. It's nice when an owner makes you feel genuinely welcome.

As for online, I can say, I had gotten some backissues from Mile High Comics in the past. The owner, Chuck Rozanski, always sends newsletters with discounts codes, and the newsletters are pretty much blog like with personal stories/news. At the Baltimore Comic Con a few years ago, I just saw him standing around, probably just closed a deal. He was very approachable and friendly. He even gave me his email in case I ever had a problem with an order in the future. Very good owner, so if someone is looking for a reasonable online company (with a huge selection), Mile High Comics is highly recommended. Just make sure you use the codes from the newsletters

Whenever my wife and I are somewhere new we try to find all the local comic bookshops!

Generally, I love going to comic book shops. They're fun, always a bit different, and you never really know what you'll stumble across. I'm typcially more excited to see older, more obscure stuff than I am to see the latest item from DC Collectibles or something.

I definitely get what people mean, though, when they talk about the "comic guy vibe" that some shops can have. Fortunately, I've been to very few shops like that in the many I've visited.

There are a few things that bother me about comic shops, though not every shop has these problems:

1. When they have new items for outrageous prices- I have one local shop to me that I absolutely love. They have so many old toys, a good comic selection, and are always very friendly. They also typically have brand new figures for outrageous prices. I obviously understand they don';t move the amount of product that a regular retailer does and that they probably had to hunt the toy down themselves, but when you triple or quadruple a new action figure, it just seems tacky.

2. No price tags- When I'm looking at random toys, especially older stuff, price often determines if I'm going to buy something. If you have no prices on stuff, after awhile I just feel like I'm annoying you if I have to keep asking how much stuff is. Honestly, there was a shop near me that priced nothing. I mean nothing. I went in one day, saw a DC Direct figure I was interested and took it up to the register to buy it. The guy looked at it and said, "I'm not in charge of the toys here so I can't sell this to you." I told him how much DC Direct figures typically went for at the time and he still said, "Yeah, but I can't sell that- you'll have to come back next week when the guy who sells toys is in town."
Did I mention this shop didn't stay open long?

3. Someone mentioned it, but shops where the employees are actively involved in gaming and such so that you're "bothering" them when you show up. That's kind of how I felt about the shop I mentioned above, but I've been to one or two others where I felt like visitor in someone's living room and all their friends were just staring at me, waiting for me to leave so their friend (the shopkeeper) could finish the game.

But most of the time, I walk out happy as a clam, meet cool people (both working there and shopping there- I'm a talker!), and buy lots of ridiculously awesome stuff!

As a general rule, I like comic book shops. Unfortunately, even though I'm not enrolled in seminary any more my money still goes there every year. So I end up not having a lot of money for that. (And those weighty old theology books I like to read also tend to be pricey.)